


My Mother Loved (My Mother Failed)

by rredhoods



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Batfamily Feels, Gen, Jason Todd is Robin, Jason-Centric, Young Justice AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-21
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2018-08-16 11:40:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8101030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rredhoods/pseuds/rredhoods
Summary: It started on a normal day, between the meeting of a bird and an Amazon. It carried onto a grassy plain overlooking a glorious waterfall, a safe haven for secrets. It ended on a cold and dreary day, in a burning blaze and broken skin. But it restarted with a hoarse whisper of "Mom?" on the grimy streets of Gotham. Or the YJ!AU where Jason and Diana have an unbreakable bond, and in the end having two superheroes as parents did nothing to save Jason Todd.





	1. Tragedy Strikes the Young

Diana and Jason's first meeting was something of picture-perfect awe. Even after death, everyone who had been there that day looked upon the memory with utmost fondness, Oliver and Hal included (which spoke volumes in itself).   
  
The second Robin had been utterly starstruck from the moment he was heralded into the Watchtower, where Diana had been on monitor-duty. Despite an outward, brash attitude, at the very heart of it the boy was shy. Fearful of doing or saying the wrong thing. As if all his impulsiveness had been compressed into a ball of nerves, ready to explode. That was most likely the reason behind why he came in tucked behind Batman's cape, shaky fingers clinging to the bulletproof cloth in an indescribable manner.  
  
Diana had been smitten from first sight.   
  
There was something so... _pure_ about the way the boy clung to Bruce. That had been the first she'd ever seen Richard's predecessor; messy, black hair falling into sea-green irises that shone so brightly in the artificial lighting. A _child_...younger than she had ever seen Richard.   
  
She was crossing the length of the room immediately, a warm smile already on her face. She absolutely adored children; they were held of the highest regard among the Amazons. Upon coming to Earth, seeing so many younglings...it was a blessing.  
  
As she approached, Bruce placed a gloved hand atop the boy's head, much gentler than most would expect from the legendary Batman. Robin glanced up at his mentor, mouth opening, before his head snapped back in Diana's direction.  
  
"Hello little warrior," she smiled, bending down to the boy's height. He was so small, so endearing. "I'm Diana, and it's a pleasure to meet you. What is your name?"  
  
"You're the greatest superhero ever!" The boy blurted out before he could stop himself, and only after did he process his words with a blush. Diana stifled her urge to coo, not wanting to come off as patronizing, but her smile did widen, did grow in joy. "And, uh, my name's-"  
  
"Robin," Batman cut in, and only those who've known him long enough could hear the fond exasperation that coloured the man's tone. From behind the duo, Richard, now using the alias Nightwing, rolled his eyes affectionately, a smirk on his face. Robin's mouth shut mid-sentence, and the boy shot his father sheepish grin. Immediately she could tell that mischievousness was normal in the Bat household.  
  
"Sorry, B."  
  
"Wonder Woman, do you mind keeping an eye on Robin while the rest of us discuss the new invasion protocols?" Bruce had originally intended on asking Dick to keep on eye on his brother, but the fond expression on his friend's face caught him ( _slightly_ ) off-guard. He would have to passive-aggressively bring up her prior opinion about child sidekicks later, when they were alone with Clark. And it was no secret in the Wayne household that Jason _much_ preferred the Amazon over Batman; it was a thought that was verbalized at least once at breakfast, and again at dinner. Sometimes, it felt like Jason was doing it to...aggravate Bruce (no, he was _not_ petty enough to call it _jealousy_ , damn it), but then he would remember the boy's Wonder Woman pyjamas and t-shirts, and he would have to remind himself not to visible pout or frown.   
  
It was fine if he wasn't his son's favourite superhero. It didn't matter. Not in the slightest. Dick's favourite was Clark, anyways, so why would it matter if Jason's favourite was Diana?  
  
(Dick grinned at Bruce's back, having noticed the telltale signs that the man was, in Batman fashion, _pouting_.)  
  
"It would be an honour to show the little one around," Diana offered a hand to the boy, who took it eagerly and gravitated to Diana's side without so much as a glance back at Bruce.  
  
Bruce's telltale signs of a Bat-pout strengthened into something palpable, and Clark choked back a chuckle from where he watched the interactions. It was also something Dick and Jason could feel, could pick up on naturally; maybe that's why the latter turned back and shot Bruce a carefree grin, radiating excitement. And how could Bruce frown at _that_ face? Shaking his head, he offered the boy a minute smile that radiated 'wait until we get home and I can act like a father again'. The other League members all watched the scene with varying degrees of amusement, but they all clambered into their seats as Diana took off with the boy.   
  
Clark, however, caught a few words that forced him to hide another chuckle behind his hand.  
  
Robin had tugged on Diana's hand until she had bent over, and brought his lips up to her ear.  
  
"My name's Jason. Jason Todd."

* * *

After that it was as if the duo had become inseparable; or, it was as if Diana had gained a sidekick and Bruce had lost one. Jason would not rest unless he saw Diana once a week, if not once every few days. They would train and read together whenever confined to the Watchtower, but when they were spending free time together, Diana would take the boy exploring. They would pick a different country each time, and she would find some scenic, hidden grove for them to settle into and spend the rest of their day just talking, about everything and anything.  
  
It was during one of those trips that Jason truly opened up to her, origins spilling out of his mouth that painted a grim picture.  
  
They were settled down atop a rocky cliff, overlooking a vast waterfall. Iguazu Falls on the Iguazu River between Brazil and Argentina, from one of the world maps Jason had been studying, to be specific. After seeing pictures, he had begged Diana to take him, and she could never say no to that face.  
  
(The same face he had thrown Bruce, so many weeks ago. It seemed to have the same affect on both of them now.)  
  
After a few minutes of idle chatter, he twisted his torso far enough to tuck himself under her arm, laying his head down against her collarbone and wrapping his arms around her waist.   
  
Diana had learnt, early on, that Jason enjoyed bodily contact; hugs, cuddles, hands run through his hair...but he would never ask for it. Would never burden someone with the duty. But as soon as she had reached that conclusion, she made sure to give him as much as she could; she never failed to notice the way his shoulders slumped and his eyes closed, as if he didn't have to protect himself from any danger while in her arms.  
  
He was right, of course. Diana would protect him, to her last breath if that's what it took. He was her's just as much as he was Bruce's, and dare she say more.   
  
But for him to seek out contact the way he had...with a small frown, she tightened her hold and glanced down at the boy. He was staring out across the waters, eyes glazed over as he was no doubt lost in some memory.  
  
"My mom...well. She, uh, tried, you know? For as long as she could. She did her best to keep food on the table, to keep me in school and out of trouble. She...she did a pretty good job, until the, uh, the drugs really took over."  
  
His voice wavered with the promise of held back tears, and Diana's heart broke so devastatingly she was sure he heard the implosions. There's a pause, in them and in the world around them, but Jason takes a deep breathe and soldiered on.  
  
"And my dad...yeah, he was always an asshole. Died in prison, where he belonged. My mom...I...the last stretch, I took care of her best I could. Dropped school, stole, searched dumpsters...anything to put food on the table, right?"  
  
The last word came out as a downtrodden sob, and Diana couldn't stop herself from pulling the boy into her lap and holding him close. Jason clung to her the way a child would cling to its mother, face buried in the curve of her neck and hands fisted into the soft, gray sweater she wore. She ran a soothing hand through his hair, her own eyes glassy and burning. No child should ever have to go through something so terrible.  
  
Why did tragedy seek out the young?  
  
"S-She...she died, overdosed. Not a surprise. I was the one who found her body and I...I begged for her to wake up. Because even if she was long gone before death, she was still mom. She was still my mom, the only one I could call home. But she was gone and I...cried myself to sleep, hugging her body. Left the next day, and a few weeks later ran into B while stealing his tires."  
  
This story she knew, for Bruce had told her it once, eyes alight with utmost fondness as he recalled his surprise at finding a little boy with a tire iron underneath his car.    
  
"Jason, I am so sorry. No child should ever have to bear witness to something like that. The gods were cruel to force tragedy on you like that," Diana murmured, pressing a kiss to his brow. He relished the gesture for a moment before shaking his head, and turning his bright eyes on her, a vague desperation underlining his features.  
  
"No, no, Di...I...it's just that. She wasn't my birth mother. She...Sheila, that's her name, and she's out there. In Africa."  
  
And suddenly, it made sense. A flutter echoed through her heart, dark and foreboding. Not jealousy, no...but a wariness. Deep and unyielding in its urge to make her understand.  
  
(If only she had. If _only_.)  
  
"You wish to find this...Sheila?" She asks, choosing her words carefully. Jason nods vigorously, but abruptly stops himself, eyes blinking up at her in a way that reminded of her of the little boy who had come in clinging to his father's cape.   
  
"Not...for anything but closure," he says quietly enough for it to be a whisper, then breaks out into a tiny grin. "Wanna know a secret?"  
  
She raises an eyebrow, unconsciously smiling down at him as she waited for him to continue.  
  
He leans in, much like that time he whispered his name to her.  
  
"You make a pretty great mom."  
  
Her heart stopped. Stopped, and stuttered back to life.  
  
Mom.  
  
Gods.  
  
Jason thought of her as a _mother_.  
  
It takes a moment. The words settle in, as heavy as a blanket, and fills her heart with warmth. It was as if he had injected her with liquid happiness, and now she had sunshine in her veins.   
  
_Mom_.  
  
"And you are a phenomenal son, Jason," she manages to choke out, through her euphoria and sheer inability to comprehend the utmost trust he had placed in her with just one, small sentence. He was her's just as much as he was Bruce's, and dare she say more. She dared.  
  
_More_.  
  
They sat there quietly in the dying sunlight, Jason still curled up in her lap and Diana's fingers still running through his hair. The raven-haired boy leaned back a bit more, putting his full weight against the Amazon, and let out a small little sigh.  
  
"I'm going to find her, and I'm going to find answers. But...it won't change anything. Other than my feelings, I guess. We'll still...hang out, right, Di?"  
  
"Of course," she affirms, voice gentle. "Always."   
  
"'Kay," he whispers, his breath puffing against her neck. A pause. "Hey, Di?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"I love you."  
  
Her heartbeat flickers, but unlike the title he had bestowed upon her earlier, she knew he loved her. And he knew she loved him. They had grown too close, their bond too strong, for there not to be an unbreakable amount of love between them.   
  
She pulled him impossibly close, at peace with the world and the silence around them.   
  
"I love you too, my boy."  
  
Yes, everything was perfect. The world was calm, protected, and safe. They were _safe_ ; tragedy was nowhere to be seen. Gone, but never forgotten.  
  
If only she'd known that day on the cliff would be the last time she would see Jason. Maybe she would have said more. Maybe she would've stressed the fact that he was her son, and they did not need blood to share that bond. That she would tear the world off its axis to protect him, save him, keep him safe.  
  
She wished she had said more.  
  
Because five days later, Jason Peter Todd was dead.

* * *

It was a cold and dreary day when everything crumbled into nothingness.   
  
She had been on monitory duty, watching over the planet she'd sworn to protect. The other League members were off on individual missions within their own cities, save for Black Canary and Batman, both who were coordinating with the Young Justice team. It was a quiet day, not much commotion happening over the comms. She herself was keeping an open channel with the children (not children, she reminded herself, but young heroes in their own right), just in case something happened to go wrong. It wouldn't, she thought. Even if it did, the team was more than capable of taking care of themselves; they'd always been capable of taking care of themselves. It never _truly_ went wrong.  
  
Until it did.  
  
It was a cold and dreary day when Nightwing's frantic yelling crackled through the comm system, a broken staccato of panic. Alarmed, Diana quickly flipped the comm onto the right frequency, fingers flying over the keyboard to locate the correct satellite footage.  
  
"Batman! Batman, he's gone! He's gone! He has Robin! _He has Robin!_ "   
  
Ice cold fear froze her heart solid.  
  
_Jason_.   
  
"Nightwing, you need to calm down and tell me what's going on," Batman's voice came through, a growl sounding of...frustration, anger, menace.   
  
Fear.  
  
"Joker...Joker and his men showed up and Ja-Robin was deliberately isolated from the team and...he's _gone_ , Batman. The Joker and his men took Robin."  
  
Oh, _gods_.  
  
At this point, she still hadn't said a word; there was no time to talk, not with the proverbial clock ticking down. A few clicks later she had the team's coordinates, and in no time she was racing across the room, heading towards the zeta tubes. Over her comm, she could hear Batman, still desperately trying to gain insight from a frenzied team of frightened heroes. Wally was yelling. M'gann was sobbing. Conner...Conner was speaking, in low tones, trying to placate the team. Being a leader.   
  
She threw herself into the zeta tube, mentally willing Jason to hold on. To his strength, to his hope, to his belief that they would come for him.  
  
_We're coming for you, my son.  
_  
Blinding light engulfed her, and in seconds she was touching down somewhere in the heart of Ethiopia. A muted hush fell over the crowd she found herself in, the everyday citizens staring in awe of the one and only Wonder Woman bursting through an alleyway onto their busy streets.  
  
"I need to know if any of you citizens saw clowns of any sort!" She shouts, mentally sending prayers to all her brothers and sisters. _Please_ , she thinks. _Please let them_ know. "Men in masks, or facepaint, or anything-"  
  
"There was a van," someone speaks up. A child, no older than ten, and wearing nothing but rags. But he is steadfast, and confident, and Diana could have cried in her relief. "Heading east. Nothing out there, but one factory. Warehouse. Abandoned."  
  
"Thank you, child," that was all she could manage before she's up in the air, flying and speeding east, east, _east_.   
  
_Hang on_ , she thinks.  
  
_Hang on_ , Bruce thinks.  
  
_Hang on_ , Dick thinks.   
  
"There's a warehouse, east of the central district," she speaks hurriedly into her comm, wind whistling through her hair. She hears Batman yell orders, voice grating and harsh. Urgent. Nightwing and Superboy are the same, and suddenly everyone is on the move, everyone is heading for Robin. For their teammate. For their friend. For their brother.   
  
For their son.  
  
For _Jason_.  
  
She hears it before she feels the heat of it on her skin.  
  
A burst of sound, loud and made up of roaring flames and screaming metal. Crackling, reckless with no abandon.  
  
Fire. An explosion.  
  
_No. Please,_ no _._  
  
She touches down, staring at the scene in front of her.   
  
The remains of a burning warehouse, smouldering and sending sparks floating into the air. Tinder, burning and scattered, scattered on the ground for miles. Steel beams had collapsed, now laying haphazardly where they once stood. Broken glass, dancing flames, old vehicles now crushed under the weight of the debris.   
  
Batman, kneeling amongst the rubble, his teeth gritted and cape fluttering in the wind.   
  
A broken body in his arms, dressed in greens, reds, and yellows.  
  
_No_.  
  
A familiar bioship hurtled through the skies, and a body was jumping out, flying across the sand before it even landed. A man in a dark suit, a stark contrast against the dying sunlight, with silvered tears streaking down his cheeks as he opened his mouth to scream, loud and pained and _dying_.   
  
" _Jason!_ "  
  
Dick fell to the ground beside his father, shoulders shaking as he reached out to touch his brother's face. Blood and dirt stained his hands, but he ignored it and cradled the younger boy's head. Bruce still hadn't moved, still hadn't turned to acknowledge her. She knew he was aware of her presence. She didn't know, however, what he could possibly say to remedy the situation.  
  
There was nothing he could say to remedy the situation.   
  
Slowly, the rest of the team emptied out of the ship. Superboy, paled-faced and angered, roared as he slammed his fist into the sand. Miss Martian had her face buried between her palms, her cries broken and relentless. Kid Flash had Artemis gathered up in his arms, the latter with her mouth opened and eyes filled with horror. There was Aquaboy, fists clenched and hidden in the shadows of the ship. They had all failed, Bruce and Diana included.  
  
But failure had never tasted so bitter, so _bloody_.  
  
Diana took a step further. Another. And another. She kept walking until she was beside Bruce, and up close she could see the truth.  
  
Batman was crying; no, he was _sobbing_. Deep, gut-wrenching cries that pulled emotion from somewhere in the deep chasms of his broken and battered heart. Over the son he'd lost. Over the son who had suffered. Over the son who he had failed to protect, to save.  
  
A dam broke inside her, somewhere buried deep within her soul.  
  
_"You make a pretty great mom."_  
  
A wail fell from her lips, vaguely sounded like 'no' but something else altogether. It pierced the skies, startled the others into their own bouts of grief. She felt all willpower leave her body, and down she went, broken glass digging into her knees.   
  
It would haunt her, to her dying days, not knowing what Jason had been thinking leading up to his death. Had he been scared? Confident? Had he hoped someone, anyone, would make it in time to save him?  
  
Had he cried out for her or Bruce?  
  
It was a horrible thing, to be failed by the very same people meant to raise you. Catherine and Willis Todd had both failed, in vastly differing ways albeit with the same, scarring impact. Next to fail the boy had been Shelia, who had taken Jason's trust and thrown it back in his face in the worst way imaginable.  
  
And next to fail him? Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince, known to the world as Batman and Wonder Woman. They were too late.  
  
They were simply _too late_.

* * *

She found out from Clark.  
  
Following Jason's death, there had been an obvious...break, for lack of a better term, in the efficiency of both the League and Young Justice. Dick had closed himself off in Blüdhaven, cutting contact with everyone. The team had splintered off into their own holes, some with family and others into their bedrooms at Mount Justice.   
  
And she...had gone home, to the island. The others, who she had introduced to the boy, mourned with her, hearts shattered at the knowledge of the loss of a life so soon.  
  
She needed the time for herself, needed to be prepared for when they were to say their final goodbyes, when they buried their boy in the ground, away from them. It was wrong, to bury an angel under six feet of dirt. She had considered asking Artemis to grant the boy her ultimate gift, to turn him into a constellation in the stars they gazed at so often.   
  
Imagine her surprise, to come back to humanity and to find Clark's pitying eyes on her. To find out Bruce's true betrayal, what he had done, what he had done _without_ her.   
  
He had buried Jason alone.   
  
Gods, her fury burned _bright_. Nothing, not even Clark's undeniable begging, could stop her from striding over to the zeta tubes, from her landing in Gotham, from her hurtling through the dark skies in the direction of Wayne Manor. She didn't even consider the possible repercussions of Wonder Woman flying through one of Bruce Wayne's windows if the media had gotten their hands on visual evidence.   
  
She landed on broken glass with a furious snarl, red-tinged eyes seeking out the very man she was hellbent on hurting. She didn't even consider the bond of friendship they shared, that rare trust that was so hard to come by in a world like theirs, surrounded by greed and selfishness. He certainly hadn't; Bruce had all but stomped over their relationship.   
  
He barely had time to glance in her direction before her fist was in his face, breaking bone and sending him flying into the wall behind him.   
  
"How dare you," she snarled, spittle flying. No longer was she the beautiful Princess of Themyscira, calmness and finesse and beauty. Now she was mourning mother of a dead bird, loud in her fury and undying agony. " _How dare you._ "  
  
He doesn't fight back. How could he? The Dark Knight knew, sooner or later, that this would happen. That she would come for him, proverbial guns blazing, and demand answers. He didn't have those answers. He didn't have much these days, aside from his burning self-hatred and a half-empty bottle of Scotch.   
  
Secretly, he hoped Diana would take it too far. Maybe that would soothe the still-bleeding wound that had cleaved his heart in two.   
  
As the thought crossed his mind, Diana pulled her arm back, fully intending to yet again drive her fist into his face, but the familiar sound of whistling wind and a fluttering cape had them both pausing. And then Clark was there, eyes wide and pleading as he grabbed onto Diana, pulling her back, pulling her close and hoping that somehow, someway, there was something left between them to fix.   
  
"Please, Diana," he begged, eyes staring down at his bloodied best friend. He himself was holding have a tidal wave of anger, the memory of a grinning, young boy flitting the back of his eyelids as he shut his eyes to reign in his emotions. Out of all the mistakes Bruce had made, out of every sin committed...burying one of their own without so much as a word was the biggest error. "You don't want to do this."  
  
Diana thrashed for all she was worth, teeth gnashing and fingernails digging into the flesh of Clark's hands in a vain attempt to free herself. But her anger had taken too much, cost her so much to keep burning as it did. She was too far gone to put enough effort into her actions to free herself of Clark's grip, and instead found herself spitting venom at Bruce from where Clark kept her stationary. Venom that came in the form of words, words so true that all three of them could almost feel the sacred bond between them splint even further.   
  
"He wasn't just yours!" She screamed, eyes blurry and burning from all her tears. "He wasn't just yours to bury, Bruce!"  
  
And Bruce finally, _finally_ , looks at her as if he's seeing her for the first time. As if it all the memories of his smiling boy with the Amazon were coming back to him; of them smiling, laughing, hugging. Diana's palpable fear whenever the young Robin had gotten injured. The amount of times she had accompanied him to go check up on the other kids, just to see her little bird. He remembered, breathed, shuddered...and Bruce Wayne felt the full weight of his shame settle on his shoulders like something tangible.  
  
That was all it took; the tear-filled eyes of Gotham's steadfast protector had her crumbling.  
  
Seeing Bruce so utterly destroyed, dejected, _heartbroken_ , Diana felt her anger leave her. It dissipated so suddenly that her legs gave away, and she was left shaking and unable to stand. Thankfully Clark, always _Clark_ , is firm in his grip, and holds her upright even as she starts sobbing in earnest, feeling the phantom touch of a shark-toothed, bright young boy.  
  
"He was my son, too," she wept, sword clattering to the ground. Bruce let his head tilt back, let it hit the broken wall behind him as he closed his eyes and let his tears fall. At the sight of two of the strongest people he knew shattered and mourning, Clark felt a familiar stinging sensation behind his eyes. "He was my son, and I loved him. How could you refuse me a goodbye?"  
  
As they lay there, in the broken remains of the study room, Diana vaguely wondered what Jason would think of them right now. She wondered who he would reprimand, who he would console, who he would hug in hopes of providing comfort. But it didn't matter, for she would never know. It wouldn't matter, because they had lost their son, they had _failed_ their son.   
  
Jason Peter Todd was dead, and had left behind two broken heroes in his bloody wake. 


	2. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I have always cared. I will always care. You are my son, in heart and in spirit, and I have loved you from the day I met you.”

The months passed.

She and Bruce had not spoken in that time; the night she had tried to find the Joker and deliver justice had ended in screams and pulled punches.

It was the same night the Joker broke out of Arkham Asylum. Finding him was an easy feat for the demigod, but Batman crashed through the ceiling windows and got between them before Diana could deliver the killing blow.

“Not like this!” He yelled, in her face, that damn cowl an ocean between them. She barely noticed the Joker being hauled away by Commissioner Gordon, hyper-focused on the sinner before her.

“It is what _my_ son deserves,” she snarled, making sure to put emphasis on the possession. She relished his palpable flinch. “This is not a sin I can forgive you for, Batman!”

Batman, not Bruce.

Not a friend.

“Fine,” he said, voice cold. “That’s fine.”

* * *

There was a new Robin.

She couldn’t look him in the eye.

Dick told her his name was Timothy Drake, and he had reached out to them in the grim months following Jason’s death. He had approached the manor, approached Bruce, and all but begged him to rehire Robin. This Timothy character had revealed he knew all their secrets, their identities, and had asked for Bruce to bring Dick home.

And now, some time later, was parading around as Robin.

Perhaps she was being too harsh; it was not the boy’s fault his mentor was blinded by his grief, nor was it his fault the burdensome mantle had been passed onto his shoulders. It didn’t stop her from avoiding the boy, no matter the heavy guilt that set on her chest whenever she thought about it.

In her heart, Robin ended with Jason.

She no longer interacted with the Young Justice team, instead leaving the mentoring and guidance to Nightwing and Batman, who yet again had a reason to be invested. These days she kept to herself; even her interactions with the Justice League fell to a bare minimum. The only two people who fought to stay in her life were Clark and Lois, who were firm in their insistence that she join them for dinner or a movie or a night out. She loved them, truly and deeply, but the company did little to fill the hole in her heart.

It was during one of those nights, spent laughing and softly smiling under the stars, that a grave across the country was disturbed, and out climbed a boy still loved.

* * *

He broke through the surface with a pained scream, rivulets of green water cascading off his shoulders. The cave shook, uneven walls illuminated by the pool carved into the middle as the child writhed and clutched at his head, agonized by whatever was going on in his mind.

“Mom,” he sobbed, voice broken. “Dad!”  

“Perhaps this was not wise,” the old man standing beyond the edge of the pool commented, tone cool as he lifted his cape away from the sloshing waters. The child continued to scream. “He is not taking to the remedy well.”

“I don’t need him to,” his daughter snapped, a tremor in her fingers as she waited for the screaming to end. “I just need him back in his right mind; I need to be able to heal him completely. This was the only way, and you know it, Father.”

“You think Batman will appreciate this?” Ra’s Al Ghul asked, dryly. “You putting his son through an indescribable amount of pain?”

Talia kept her eyes focused on the boy. “Pain is a small, temporary price to pay for what he is being given back.”

“And what is that, exactly? To know how his Father betrayed him? To know his murderer roams free?”

“A chance to _live_ . To serve justice as _he_ sees fit.”

Beyond them, Jason Todd rose, chest heaving, and looked them dead in the eye. The Lazarus Pit had finally calmed, the smallest of ripples echoing from where he stood.

Talia swallowed, the palpable tension in the air tightening like a vice.

His eyes glowed green.

* * *

Diana found out by accident.

“One would think you knew better than to keep things like this from me,” she snarled, voice cold; behind Batman, Timothy shrunk. Interactions between her and Batman were few and far between, and this was the first time the boy was seeing her wrath. “What do you know of it?”

Batman tensed, fingers curled into fists at his side. “His grave was disturbed a while back. We...it didn’t look disturbed from the outside, so we ruled out graverobbers. It looked...like something came out.”

 _Someone_ , her mind supplied. Her heart seemed to come to a standstill.

“Diana...you have to understand that there’s probably a reasonable explanation for this,” Batman began, hesitant in a way he never was. “I had the coffin pulled up to confirm that Jason was in there and...there was no body.”

“Bruce,” she whispered, her voice cracking. In those words was a hidden implication that their boy was gone, completely, as if he had never existed. To think someone would desecrate the final resting place of a loved one...she felt ill. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I want you to be prepared for the worst, and to warn you to not hope for the best,” Bruce said, in typical Batman fashion. But she understood; _I’m sorry for what I did all those years ago, this is me trying to fix it_.

She would accept the olive branch he had so painstakingly reached out with.

“Thank you for telling me,” she finally spoke, a cautious smile turning her lips. Batman nodded, and without another word headed for the door, Timothy trailing after him. Diana watched their backs for a moment, before turning back to her work with a small frown on her face.

* * *

They met up for a biweekly League meeting in the Batcave on a rainy night in mid-April. If she and Clark noticed the stiff tension in their friend, they made no mention of it; clearly, something was amiss.

“We need to discuss our schedules leading up to our departure to deal with the trial,” Bruce announced, spreading out papers across the expanse of the table. Behind him, the monitor showed various spots in Gotham, from rooftops to storefronts, an expansive system of security to let him keep an eye on his entire city from one place.

“Good thing we have the Master of Spreadsheets in attendance,” Clark joked, finally cracking a smile from his companion and a laugh from Diana. Their night continued on in a similar fashion, full of quips and warmth.

It was nice, familiar, and lulled them into a sense of security...until a figure streaked across the security cameras, and stole all of Bruce’s attention.

They watched, unsure, as Bruce stumbled to his feet and reached for the comm system, hissing through his teeth.

“Nightwing, Robin, he’s on the move,” he was in full-blown Batman mode, but there was a rare inkling of nervousness underneath the steel that had Diana’s stomach turning. “Intercept him at the interway and call me as soon as you have him cuffed. Batgirl, be prepared to offer backup.”

There was a pause in the conversation; she could hear Dick’s affirmation, could hear the wind whistling by as Bruce’s eldest leapt from building to building. But curiously enough, her heart told her to keep her eyes on the security footage, on the broad figure speeding through the city.

“He calls himself the Red Hood,” Bruce finally said, breaking the uneasy silence that had enveloped the room. “I don’t know who he is...but he knows me. Knows my every move, even before I do. It’s disconcerting, and he’s slipped through my fingers more times than I can count over the past few weeks.”

“Let us help,” Clark offered immediately.

“He sounds dangerous and you do not have time to play cat and mouse with another foe, not with the trial approaching,” Diana agreed, already on her feet, sword in hand. Bruce only paused for a moment, weighing his options, before nodding, which spoke volumes to how skilled this Red Hood truly was, if Bruce was willing to accept help so readily.

They set out soon after that, the two of them keeping pace with Bruce as he swung from roof to roof, an unfamiliar urgency to his actions. The rain had yet to let up, instead worsening and hitting the ground with perverse strength.

Diana felt a sense of unease pass through her, and tried her best to ignore it. Something in her blood told her tonight...tonight was a night about something more than a petty criminal.

“There! I see them,” Clark interrupted her thoughts, and together they descended upon the brutal fist fight between Nightwing and the Red Hood.

Diana was quick to take stock of the situation: off to the side, Batgirl was tending to a bleeding Timothy, but they seemed relatively unharmed. Dick, on the other hand, was sporting a split lip and a bloody nose, and seemed to be barely holding his ground as he was pushed back by the larger man. Neither of them had seen the trio of heroes touch down on the roof along with them.

“Enough! This stops now,” Batman yelled, voice intermingling with the thunder in the background.

Red Hood got one more solid punch in, before turning towards Batman, a gun in his outstretched hand. Which, at the sight of the heroes on the roof, clattered to the ground. Diana tensed, preparing for a fight, but what came next was far worse than anything she could’ve imagined.

There, on that shabby roof in the heart of Gotham, while rain thundered down against their skin at a frantic pace—

“Mom?” Red Hood asked hoarsely, a familiar voice that sent her to her knees. But it was impossible, had to be some trick, some form of magic—

_“I had the coffin pulled up to confirm that Jason was in there and...there was no body.”_

Her heart that which had died months ago with a little boy in a warehouse in Ethiopia, shuttered, shook, and started to beat again.

“Jason?” She whispered into the darkness of the night. Somewhere next to her, Bruce went still, and Dick’s gasp was audible even over the wind. She can’t decide if this was a fairy tale come true or a nightmare brought to life.

The choice was made for her with how Jason reacted, beyond the initial shock.

“You...you shouldn’t be here,” he all but moaned, a hand reaching up for his helmet. “Out of all of you, you’re...you’re the last person I could…”

“My sweet boy, what are you doing? Why are you running around Gotham like this?” She asked, voice strained.

_Why didn’t you come home?_

“Someone has to deliver justice,” was his knee-jerk response, spat out almost immediately; an automatic defense. “Someone has to do right by this city. And it can’t be _Batman_.”

A beat of silence passed. She could see the tension in Bruce’s shoulders, no matter the distance. She could feel his pain, felt it radiating through the air.

“Why have you turned against your father, little one?”

There was a lull in the conversation. Diana found herself fearing the answer, as if some long gone part of her already knew what it was.

“Why? _Why_ ? Because I died and nothing changed!” Jason yelled. He pointed at Batman. “I died, and it was like I never existed! The Joker alive, a new Robin, _nothing changed_!”

Diana’s heart dropped; beside her, Clark drew a sharp breath.   

“Jason,” it was the first word Bruce had spoken since the Red Hood’s identity had been revealed. The words came tinged with sheer and utter pain. “Jason…you have it wrong, son—”

“Don’t call me that!” The once-dead Robin roared, disengaging his helmet and throwing it to the side. He had the same jet black hair, but a tuft of shockingly white hair stuck out at the front. For some reason, it seemed familiar, but Diana couldn’t place from what. “You have _no right_ to call me that!”

Bruce drew back into himself; a flinch sent his cape fluttering. Clark laid a hand on his shoulder, sympathetic, but said nothing.

“Jay,” Dick breathed, taking a step closer. “God, Jay, where have you been? All this time you...you could’ve came home! We—I—missed you _so_ much.”

Diana closed her eyes, silently echoing the sentiment. The lid she kept on her never-ending grief came loose, flooding her with all the pain and regret she had felt since the day her boy had died. She wondered where on Earth he had disappeared to, with all his apparent disappointments and pain. Wondered why she hadn’t searched the entire planet when Bruce had first told her the body was missing.

She knew magic, knew it worked in mysterious ways; she should’ve known better, done better, done _more_.

 _Mistakes_. So many mistakes were made.

Jason sized up his brother, the harsh lines of his mouth softening into something passably neutral. So the full extent of his rage didn’t extend to Dick, or Diana, or anyone beyond Timothy and Bruce; it was an interesting beginning to a plethora of theories, but Diana would think on it later.

He stepped closer in Dick’s direction, seemingly at odds with himself, but in the end decided to stay where he was. Dick made a pained noise in response to the display of restraint, obviously wanting nothing more than to hold his younger brother close.

“I missed you too,” Jason finally settled on, shifting his weight from one foot to the next. “But I...I had to train. Get better, stronger, fiercer. Come back to do what nobody else could.”

She needed him to _understand_. It was such a desperate taste, the tangible desire burning up her throat like acid.

_“Not like this!” He yelled, in her face, that damn cowl an ocean between them. She barely noticed the Joker being hauled away by Commissioner Gordon, hyper-focused on the sinner before her._

_“It is what_ my _son deserves,” she snarled, making sure to put emphasis on the possession. She relished his palpable flinch. “This is not a sin I can forgive you for, Batman.”_

So many mistakes were made.

“Jason,” she finally spoke up. She stepped closer, one foot in front of the other until she was in front of her boy, her little bird, her _baby_ , cupping his cheek and pressing her forehead against his.

There was a choked sob. She wondered how long he roamed Gotham’s streets, how long the Red Hood had been an issue for the Bats of Gotham.

“I missed you,” Diana whispered. “Every day since you’ve been gone. There was...there was a part of me that died with you, little one, that day in Ethiopia. I’ve harboured so many regrets, so much anger at all the things I should’ve said...I’m sorry. I’m _sorry_.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Jason rasped, shaking fingers clutching at her shoulders. Through the white-out lenses of his domino mask, she could see his eyes glowing iridescently. “It’s not your fault. You tried. She told me you tried, and that _he_ stopped you. So thank you. For caring.”

_She?_

“I have always cared. I _will_ always care. You are _my_ son, in heart and in spirit, and I have loved you from the day I met you.”

The rain had stopped, and behind them the sun had begun to rise. Slowly, Jason raised his head; his fingers peeled the domino mask off his face, revealing a set of aquamarine irises that glowed an eerie green. She catalogued the change in colour to ask about later, and instead focused on the way Jason was searching her face for any hint of a lie.

“Forget your father for now,” she all but begged him, ignoring the startled intake of breath from Dick. “We will cross that bridge when the time comes. For now, come home to me, and we’ll fix this, Jason. I swear to you on my life we _will_ make the hurt go away; we’ll fight your demons _together_.”

Beneath them, Gotham begun to rise. The telltale noises of a city beginning to move reached her ears.

Jason was silent. One heartbeat passed, then two, then three.

“Okay,” he whispered. “Okay, mom.”

* * *

Jason didn’t say anything to Bruce before he and Diana had left Gotham for Paris. She gave him his old room, still furnished and as clean as the last time he had been in it.

“I didn’t have the heart to move anything,” Diana admitted, rubbing soothing circles into his back as they stood in the middle of the room together. Sunshine filtered through the curtains of the windows, illuminating the soft pastels and dark reds.

Jason gave her his first smile since he had revealed himself to them on the roof.

“It’s perfect,” he said, voice light. Soft, like he used to be, like she knew he could be. “It’s...good to be home. I was...I was tired.”

She smiled, and they said nothing of the tears on their faces.

* * *

Not everything was easy.

For one, Jason had nightmares. Horrible things that woke him in the middle of the night, made him scream and cry and beg for death. Hugs and soothing words weren’t enough to calm him down on these nights, but Diana held her boy close and hoped for the best.

It wasn’t enough, but it was all she had to offer.

It would have to be enough. She would _make_ it enough.

Soon, it was.

* * *

They were back at Iguazu Falls, when he finally told her what had happened in those missing years.

Talia Al Ghul. The Lazarus Pit, which explained the white streak in his hair. Rigorous training, full of blood and pain and anger. How she had told him about the new Robin, about the Joker, had offered to shelter him until he could return and triumph over his father.

Diana felt anger course through her veins at the thought of that woman poisoning Jason’s mind, but the boy spoke of her with a sense of fondness.

“She did right by me,” he murmured, gazing out over the waters. “I mean, I’m sure she did the best she could.”

“Perhaps,” Diana allowed. “But nonetheless...I am glad you are out of her grasp. I’m much happier with the fact that you are back in safe hands.”

Jason nodded in acknowledgement, and leaned into her side. Content, Diana wrapped an arm around his waist and held him close, the soft breeze washing over them.

Their quiets nights, nights like this, were the ones she cherished the most.

* * *

Slowly but surely, he healed.

She introduced him to Donna and Cassie, who both took him in as a brother immediately. The trio was always together, either training or exploring or watching a movie. Donna was busy with the Titans, and Cassie with the Young Justice team, but they always had time for each other.

Diana’s heart grew ten times larger whenever her children were in the same room together; it reminded her, and Jason, that he had a support group that cared deeply for him no matter what.

Which is what he deserved.

* * *

Dick came to visit often.

He came alone, armed with nothing but a smile and his hope. Jason was always happy to see him, even if he tried to conceal it out of fear of seeming too eager. The two brothers spent their time chatting, and more often than not Diana found them asleep in each other’s arms, tucked under the covers and curled tightly around each other.

The sight put a smile on her face every time.

Slow, but sure.

* * *

“How is he,” Bruce asked one day during a meeting, voice hoarse.

“He’s healing as best he can,” Diana offered the truth, and only the truth, and Bruce accepted it for what it was.

_I don’t think he’s ready to see you yet._

* * *

Time passed.

Jason got his GED, with the help of Donna, Cassie, Dick, and Diana. They threw a small party to celebrate, and Diana teared up at the permanence of the smile on her son’s face.

Slowly, but surely, he was _healing_.

Her heart sang.

* * *

One day, Dick brought Alfred with him to visit. Jason cried and cried and cried, begged for forgiveness, and the old man simply pulled his grandson close and held him for hours.

Diana and Dick gave them the privacy they deserved.

* * *

Dick brought Barbara with him the next time; as he rolled in her wheelchair, Jason threw a vase at the wall, the delicate glass shattering upon impact.

“Jason,” Barbara said, voice stern, and the boy crumpled. Dick ushered them into the bedroom.

Hours later, the trio emerged from Jason’s bedroom with red eyes and puffy cheeks. Diana kissed all their foreheads and gave them hot chocolate, before she put a movie on and left them on the couch.

When she returned from League duties, Jason was curled tightly between his two older siblings, both of which watched him with fond eyes.

“He’s doing so much better,” Dick whispered into the silence, and Diana hummed her agreement.

* * *

The original Young Justice members showed up at her doorstep, one at a time. First came Kaldur’ahm, who offered Jason a soft smile and a warm hug. Then came Conner and M’gann, and last was Artemis. All of them were happy to see them, all of them wished him the best. All of them apologized for not being fast enough to save them.

Jason called them stupid, and told them he never blamed them once.

Some of the Leaguers came to visit, as well; namely Clark and Lois, who enveloped Jason in a warm hug and talked to him from sundown to sunrise.

Jason smiled for all of them, time and time again, grateful and at ease.

* * *

The next time Dick came, he brought a blonde hellion named Stephanie with him, who Diana knew was the Spoiler. She and Jason got along splendidly, and Diana was glad to see Jason’s group expand by one almost instantly.

Stephanie was notorious for forcing Jason out of the house, and Diana was pleased to see Jason’s room fill with little trinkets and clothes from all their adventures and shopping trips. He was living his life again, and she couldn’t be happier.

Bruce never stopped asking about how their son was doing, but her answer was always the same.

Slow, but sure.

Not yet.

_Not yet._

* * *

Next on Dick’s never-ending list were Cass and Damian.

Jason recognized the latter.

“Talia’s son,” he breathed, and the little Robin stiffened. Diana frowned, worried she would have to intervene, but instead her son lowered himself to one knee and put a hand on Damian’s shoulder.

“She loved you,” his words were fierce. Damian’s mouth fell open. “I promise.”

And Diana, who had been introduced to Damian some time ago, saw the boy soften for the first time in the entire time she had known him.

Jason was magic, she was sure.

* * *

Last came Bruce and Tim, at Diana’s behest.

It was Jason’s 19th birthday, and everyone else was in attendance. He had made her promise not to make a big deal out of the occasion, so she kept the party to a minimum, only inviting those who had visited Jason over the last year.

The older Young Justice members, sans Dick, showed up first, Cassie and Donna tagging along. Everyone offered Jason some form of physical affection, and Diana was pleased to see the boy take it in stride. For the first few months, Jason had had an issue with physical contact, but it seemed it was a thing of the past. Not only did he reciprocate, but also initiated some hugs here and there.

Dick, Alfred, and the rest of the Batkids came next; Stephanie and Cass jumped on their older brother immediately, the trio laughing, and everyone shot them a fond smile.

“Are they here?” Diana asked Dick, once everyone was talking and they weren’t in danger of being overhead.

“Yes,” Dick murmured, his eyes following Jason as he pinned Damian to the couch and tickled him ruthlessly. Bruce’s youngest squealed loudly, in a way that Diana had never heard, before tackling his brother and sending the two of them to the ground. “He’s nervous, Di.”

Clark and Lois entered the apartment, and she shared a look with her friends.

“I’m sure your father is nervous,” Diana finally spoke, her hand on Dick’s shoulder. “But I think Jason’s ready, and Bruce has been asking about this everyday for nearly a year, now.”

Dick relented, and the two of them joined the party. Another ten minutes passed before the door opened to let Bruce and Tim through.

A hush fell over the party.

Diana choked up at the sight of so many heroes ready to defend Jason at a moment’s notice; Stephanie and Donna in particular looked murderous. Even Damian put his hero-worshipping aside to watch his father with wary eyes.

“Ah, Master Wayne,” Alfred, always Alfred, broke the tension. “Kind of you to finally join us.”

“Bruce,” Jason mumbled, surprised. Bruce didn’t say anything, but a flicker of hope crossed his face. It had been nearly a year since the two of them had last seen each other, and she knew Jason looked healthier than he did on the rooftop in Gotham all those months ago. That rabid anger was nowhere to be seen. Tim moved to stand next to Cass, looking timid; she wondered how he felt about his predecessor, but tonight was not the night for that.

“Jay,” Bruce responded, nervous, and Diana could hear the quiver in the Dark Knight’s voice. “Happy birthday, chum.”

Jason was silent. One heartbeat passed, then two, then three.

Then, he crossed the length of the living room and pulled Bruce into a fierce hug; it was returned almost immediately, and Diana gently started up the conversations again to give them some semblance of privacy.

They didn’t let go of each other for five whole minutes, and when they did, their cheeks were wet.

“Thank you,” Bruce whispered to her later. “Thank you for bringing him home.”

 _Thank you for bringing him home to me_ , was what she heard.

“Always,” she whispered back, smiling. “He is _our_ son, after all.”

Bruce gave her a rare smile before he returned his attention to the boy at his side, jumping back into the conversation about the Batmobile’s tires without pause. Diana watched them both fondly for a moment, before she turned and made her way to the door.

“Where are you going?” Clark asked, the only one to notice her departure.

“I have something to take care of,” she shot over her shoulder, before she grabbed her sword and slipped out the door.

* * *

They woke up to the news of the Joker’s death.

Jason cried and cried and cried, mumbled ‘thank you’ over and over again when she hugged him close.

“I didn’t want you to base all your recovery over a man’s death,” she explained, voice soft. Around them, people were either silently digesting what was going on or celebrating, but she only had eyes for Jason and Bruce. “Which is why I didn’t do it sooner. He can never hurt you again, my little one.”

Bruce was silent, but his eyes shone with something akin to acceptance.

* * *

Jason healed, and loved, and lived.

And Diana, and Bruce, and everyone in his life, loved him for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW! The amount of consistent support for this fic was wild vnjdkvnklsd I couldn't just leave y'all hanging! Here's the conclusion you've all been asking for :-) Hopefully it lives up to your expectations, and thank you all for your kind comments over the last year or so! I'd certainly be open to writing more for the AU so if you have any requests or wanna see any of the final scenes expanded, let me know in the comments!

**Author's Note:**

> Oh look! It's the AU nobody asked for. I've had this drafted for quite some while, and decided to wrap it up while the inspiration hit the other night. There's more to come (isn't there always?) but I didn't want to make it seem too choppy so I split it up! Next part is...Tim. Diana meeting Tim. Oh, and Diana finding our residential bag of dicks, The Joker. Certainly not in that order. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it! :-)


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